Sir — Serves her right. One cannot help feeling that Mayavati deserves no better than to have Amarmani Tripathi leave her party for Mulayam Singh Yadav (“Amarmani and 39 desert Mayavati”, Sept 6). Behenji should have known that if she plays dirty, the rules of the game are bound to blow up in her face some time or the other. And what is personal loyalty in politics' Especially if it is weighed against Tripathi’s need to save his own skin in the Madhumita Shukla murder case. With the investigating agencies on his back, Tripathi just cannot run the risk of being on the wrong side of the ruling dispensation. Perhaps he has got too used to the trappings of ministerhood that even Mayavati didn’t take away from him when she stripped him of his berth in the state cabinet. Crime, it is said, does not pay. But in the topsy-turvy world of Uttar Pradesh politics it not only pays — it is a veritable life-long gravy train.

Yours faithfully, J. Sirkar, Calcutta

Revenge tragedy

Sir — It is now clear that the August 25 blasts in Mumbai were meant to avenge the post-Godhra riots. No one can deny that despicable crimes were committed against Muslims in Gujarat. The national human rights commission and the courts have also not done anything to redress the grievances of victims. But disgruntlement with the criminal justice system cannot be justification for killing innocent people. Some Gujaratis may have been killed in the blasts in Mumbai, but a Muslim family and poor goldsmiths from Bengal also died.

Two other theories have been put forward to account for the rising disaffection among Muslims — the feeling of alienation in “Hindu India” and the agenda of a section of Muslim youth to Islamize the world. Yes, there is some truth in the alienation theory. Muslims are poorly represented in the job market. The government recruits candidates from competitive examinations. If Muslim youth cannot pass these exams, it is their fault. But Hindu youths too find it difficult to find jobs unless of course, they belong to the backward classes. Unfortunately, organizations like the Students Islamic Movement of India and terrorist organizations like the Lashkar are taking advantage of this anger to brainwash Muslim youth to take up arms. This is not an Indian problem alone, but a global problem. In sum, a number of factors are responsible for the jihadi mindset of Muslims which may be easy to denounce but is difficult to analyse.

Yours faithfully, Tapan Das Gupta, Calcutta

Sir — The latest Mumbai blasts again show the undercurrent of hatred a section of Muslims nurture towards India. After all, what other conclusion do we draw when all the four arrested persons are Muslims'

Apparently, the blasts were the handiwork of a group called the Godhra Revenge Force based in Dubai. No doubt the post-Godhra riots were a blot on our culture. But can such a group be imagined in any other country — say Bangladesh, where hundreds of Hindu temples were vandalized by the majority community after the Babri Masjid demolition'

And why are the so-called secular parties, whose policy of appeasement is responsible for the situation today, silent' There is no criticism from the Congress which rushed to portray India in a poor light to the world at the time of Gujarat riots. The time has come to signal to the world that India’s tolerance should not be misconstrued as weakness. Unless this is done, there will be more loss of life and property.

Yours faithfully, Kausik Chattopadhyay, Guwahati

Sir — The media has made much of the so-called resilience of Mumbaikars after the blasts. Paeans have been sung on the stoic calm, seeming serenity and fortitude with which the “indomitable” citizens of Mumbai ignored punches from the irrepressible mullahs in their pursuit of the moolah. If one must dispassionately give credit where it is due, then shouldn’t the media also shower praise for the resilience of other persecuted species, like lambs, pigs, cows, sheep and goats' Or are they children of a lesser god'

Yours faithfully, Pulak Bagchi, Calcutta

Sir — The Mumbai bomb blasts ought to awaken the government to the fact that we are at war, albeit an undeclared one. In conventional wars, bombs are dropped from the sky, now they are sent in trains, buses and taxis. We seem to be woefully lacking in intelligence gathering, which is essential to enable us to take preventive action. Terrorist attacks on India have been going on since the demolition of the Babri Masjid, but hardly any terrorist has been arrested, prosecuted and punished so far. If a few terrorists are caught and executed, it will be a deterrant.

Yours faithfully, C.V. Krishnamoorthy, Calcutta

A trifle insensitive

Sir — The news report, “Saved by dogs, secure in care” (August 26), begins with the sentence, “...thrown out by her parents to die...”. Such sentiments are harmful to the psyche of an adopted child. Counselling personnel at adoption centres warn against telling the child that his biological parents did not love or want him and threw him out. The adopted child generally suffers from a fear of rejection and should be encouraged to think that his biological parents too loved him, but for some reason could not take proper care of him. The child should feel safe in the knowledge that he has not one, but two sets of loving parents.

Also, punning and alliterative headlines of news reports may be alright if the news report is of a lighter nature. But, when the report is of a distressing nature, please spare a thought for the victims and refrain from such “humor”.